You’ve spent years studying optometric principles, garnering your clinical skills, and testing that knowledge. Now, it is time to put the culmination of your education and experience on paper.
One of the most daunting tasks in the job search journey is crafting a resume and/or CV that captures your competence and capabilities while also catching the attention of a potential employer.
Use this article to determine which format would serve you best, how to create each, resume trends, and additional steps you can take to set yourself up for success as you embark on the search for your first optometry job.
Resume vs. CV
First, what is the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV)? A resume offers a summary of your education, skills, and experience, while a CV provides a more expansive view of your history and accomplishments, including education, work history, memberships, publication credits, certifications, research, awards, extracurricular activities/hobbies, and/or other languages spoken.
Whereas a resume should be no longer than one to two pages, a CV can be upward of 10. Think of a resume as a close-up and a CV as a panoramic view. While some practices still find resumes sufficient, others prefer CVs for new graduates, as it provides a more comprehensive picture of the candidate.
According to Christine Carder, Senior Eyecare Talent Acquisition Specialist at CovalentCreative, “A CV allows candidates to provide a more comprehensive view of their educational background, clinical experience, and any research or publications. However, resumes are also acceptable, provided each rotation is thoroughly detailed with four to five bullet points.” Ideally, you should have both.
Download the resume and CV templates for optometry students here
📚
Resume and CV Templates for Optometry Students
Copy the resume and CV templates below to optimize the process of catching employers' attention and landing job interviews.
6 recent resume trends to follow
Though the basic rules of the resume remain unchanged, there are some elements that have become outdated, new inclusions that employers deem desirable, and technological advancements that have changed the game.
1. Trade the objective for a professional summary
Prior, resumes often began with an objective section, where the job seeker laid out their future career goals and what they were looking to glean from a particular position. This is now considered outdated and counterintuitive. Employers need to know what you have to offer, not what you hope to receive.
Therefore the objective has been replaced by a professional summary. This statement should contain one to two sentences summarizing your skills and experience and set the tone for the rest of your resume. It should use dynamic language and highlight your most sought-after skills.
Example: Newly-licensed, enthusiastic optometrist with intern experience in a busy, full-scope practice setting and a passion for providing optimal eyecare. Skilled in diagnostic eye tests, vision evaluation, prescribing eyeglasses, fitting specialty contact lenses, ocular disease management, prescribing appropriate medications, time management, and thorough patient education.
2. Make your resume ATS-friendly.
Your resume is not the place to show off your graphic design skills or favorite selfie. Now that most companies are using automated applicant tracking systems (ATS), it is imperative that you keep all documents as easy as possible to scan.
Helpful hints for optimizing your resume for ATS:
- Use common fonts such as Times New Roman, Ariel, or Garamond.
- For the body, keep the text at 12 points.
- For titles, increase to 14 to 16 points.
- Use month/year to designate dates.
- List jobs in chronological order, newest to oldest.
- Stick to circular bullet points.
- Make certain to upload in a Word or PDF format.
- Do not include photos or graphics.
3. Capitalize on keywords.
Even the same position within the same field can be described differently by the employer. It should be your resume’s goal to reflect the specific qualifications from each listing. Therefore, you should tailor your resume to each position by ensuring the keywords within the listing also appear within your resume.
Two key ways to capitalize on keywords are to:
- Insert the job title in your professional summary.
- Use the exact wording for comparable skills, software, and platforms in both the skills and work experience sections.
4. Use action verbs with tangible results.
Each bullet point describing your clinical skills/work experience should consist of a strong action verb followed by a tangible result, offering proof of quantifiable gains, if possible.
Here are four examples of action verbs in a resume for an optometry student:
- Measured and documented vision using instruments on over (X number) patients to determine appropriate vision correction.
- Coordinated and hosted an ocular health workshop at a local community center, garnering 10 new patients.
- Diagnosed myriad complex ocular conditions utilizing ophthalmic imaging technology, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus autofluorescence, fundus photography, and confocal microscopy.
- Fitted patients with specialty hard and soft contact lenses using an evidence-based standard for keratoconus, myopia control, and severe dry eye.
Table 1: Verbs that should be helpful when crafting a resume/CV.
| Researched | Assisted | Examined |
|---|---|---|
| Tested | Diagnosed | Prescribed |
| Counseled | Evaluated | Reviewed |
| Demonstrated | Assessed | Organized |
| Interviewed | Administered | Scheduled |
| Partnered | Maintained | Educated |
| Performed | Monitored | Lectured |
5. Optimize your online presence with a portfolio.
Employers will research you; the more interested they are, the deeper they will dive into your online presence. Therefore, make certain your social media presence is reflective of you as an optometrist. Take time to remove any content that makes you seem unprofessional across all social platforms.
But beyond making sure there is nothing they shouldn’t see, you can provide a portfolio of exactly what you want them to see. Create an online portfolio to give employers a deeper sense of who you are.
A portfolio website could include a headshot, biography, access to your resume, links to any published articles, case reports, and instructor/colleague/patient testimonials. Provide the web address just below your email on your resume.
For a deeper dive into what optometry students think about clinical education and professional development in school and how they feel about joining the optometry workforce, check out The 2024 Optometry Student Report!
6. Sell your soft skills.
In the past, the only skills documented were hard skills; these encompass the clinical and technical skills you have developed throughout optometry school and in the real world.
And, while these still carry the most weight, employers also value the self-awareness required to assess one’s soft skills. Soft skills are often referred to as interpersonal skills.
Examples of soft skills include:
- Communication (verbal and nonverbal)
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Thinking outside the box
- Emotional intelligence
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Active listening
- Adaptability
Find ways to incorporate soft skills into your professional summary, skills, and work experience descriptions. Genuinely think about how your soft skills improve your clinical performance and enhance your capability to best serve patients as an optometrist.
Now that you’ve learned these tips, use the downloadable template to create a winning resume
Conquering the curriculum vitae
Though a resume may be sufficient at the beginning of your career, at some point, you will want to provide a more robust document to promote yourself in the form of a curriculum vitae covering the full range of your knowledge and experience. Positions in academia, research, or other science-driven industries typically require a CV.
Your CV should contain the following:
- Contact Information: Name, email address, cell phone, and website portfolio.
- Professional Summary: A one- to two-line statement summarizing your skills and experience.
- Skills: Expand on your summary with a bullet point list covering both hard and soft skills.
- Education: Undergrad, graduate, optometry school, and residency (if applicable).
- Optometric Licenses: Note all licenses held with applicable information.
- Employment/Externship History: List clinical position, dates employed, along with two to three bullet points of daily duties, skills utilized, and positive results.
- Publications: Provide the titles of any articles you have penned with the publication, dates, and URL links to the content.
- Awards/Honors: Brag a bit; this is where you can list any scholarships, fellowships, and grants received, as well as any awards (academic, professional, and civic).
- Professional/Academic Club Memberships: List clubs and organizations, making sure to mention any offices held (e.g., class president, student council).
- Volunteering/Community Service: List organizations with which you have volunteered and any community service performed with pertinent details (e.g., VOSH).
- References: Include three to five professors, employers, and colleagues, along with name, title, company, relationship, and contact information.
Follow this link to access the CV template
Take it one step further with a professional packet
Once you have completed your resume and submitted it to your preferred practices, you wait for the interview call. Nerves will inevitably be running high, but by putting together a professional packet to take along on your initial meeting, you can ensure you’ll have everything on hand to make a stellar first impression.
Your professional packet will include:
- Your resume/CV
- List of references
- Letters of reference
- A customized list of questions to ask the practice about job responsibilities, expectations, and philosophy of care
- Blank stationery to write follow-up correspondence/thank you notes
- As a bonus, you could also enclose case reports/clinical photos that demonstrate skills
Purchase a portfolio binder to keep all of the above organized and at hand when you meet with the practice owner or hiring personnel.
Final thoughts
A well-crafted resume/CV is the first step in acquiring that first optometry job that will set the tone for the rest of your career.
After spending the past 4 years training to become a practicing optometrist, it is natural to be anxious to get your resume out the door and into the hands of prospective employers.
However, we urge you to take the extra time to make certain this document showcases you accurately, thoroughly, and in your best light to increase your chances of landing the position of your dreams.
